¹Royal Cries, p. jackson

Bonus 001.

ROYAL CRIES
━━ bonus one

━━ AFTER THE QUEST for Daedalus was over, Elisa wanted peace and quiet. She knew she was being hopeful for wanting peace and quiet at Camp Half-Blood, but she couldn't help it. She had just gotten out of a life-threatening quest two weeks before.

               Despite the harrowing corridors she had run through, things at Camp Half-Blood felt like they were finally returning to normal. Satyrs were chasing the dryads. Monsters howled in the woods. The campers were playing pranks on one another and their camp director, Dionysus ( who was also Elisa's father ), was turning anyone who misbehaved into a shrub. Typical summer camp stuff.

               After one dinner at the end of June, all the campers were hanging out at the dining pavilion. There was this constant buzz of excitement because that evening was another game of Capture the Flag.

               The night before, the Hephaestus Cabin had pulled off a huge upset. They'd captured the flag from Ares—with Percy's help, he made sure to make that clear to Elisa—which meant that the Ares Cabin would be out for blood. Which wasn't that shocking as they were always out for blood.

               On the blue team were Hephaestus, Apollo, Hermes, and Poseidon cabins. And the red team consisted of Demeter, Aphrodite, Dionysus ( Elisa's cabin, the best cabin, of course ), Athena, and Ares. When she learned that both children of the two war gods were on her side, Elisa was glad to be on the red team, even if that made Percy her enemy this time.

               Elisa glanced at the silver flag in Annabeth's hands. The Athena Cabin held the second flag and Annabeth was currently coming up with a second ( and a third ) backup plan for the game.

               "So I just need to make them suspicious?" she asked.

               The daughter of Athena nodded. "Make it obvious, but don't as the same time."

               Elisa rolled her eyes. "Real clear instructions, Annie."

               "Don't call me Annie," the blonde chided her, giving her an annoyed look.

               The brunette girl shrugged before trudging over to Percy. She tucked her purple helmet under her arm, holding to Acantha with her other hand. The black-haired boy eyed her nervously as she strolled over casually.

               "Oh, don't look so nervous." The girl rolled her eyes. "I'm not gonna skewer you—yet. Just wait for the game, Chico Pez."

               The son of Poseidon winced at the nickname. He hated it and that was the only reason she used it. "Will you stop calling me that?"

               "Why would I do that?" she asked innocently. "I mean, you don't hate the nickname or anything, do you?"

               Percy looked at her blankly. "What are you up to?" he asked suspiciously.

               Elisa looked offended. "I'm not up to anything," she said, trying to sound as serious as she could.

               He shook his head, but dropped this subject. "What do you need?"

               "Look—Annabeth's plan is ... good, okay?" She poked Percy in the shoulder, which kind of hurt since he had bronze armor on. "And because you're my friend, I don't want you to get pulverized too much. You should take the right flank." She looked over her shoulder, as if checking to see if the red team was watching her. "And I didn't tell you that. You know Annabeth would have my ass for that."